Question About my School

It sounds like he is trying to find a NON-OTR local job,,,heck....before you started somebody should have told you that all but a TINY number of folks start with an OTR job at a starter company to gain the experience to get those jobs....
Getting hard to land local job, with ZERO experience is pretty rare (kinda like Unicorns)....the ins companys simply want more miles and experience. Remember, even the schools say they train you to the point of being employable at a company that will train you more...

NUTTTS is what it is...if you want to sit in a class of 20-30 folks, watch movies, etc, go for it!! I found a place that has 6-8 student limit, no movies, and lots of 1-1 time with the instructors, and no time wasted spending time watching other folks drive.....
IMO you get out if anything what you put into it...but it helps if the students around you want to be there, and want to learn. When you are surrounded by folks that are apithic, sleeping, etc....it just does not seem good.

And for the record the troopers from the DMV give the tests in the yard at the North Andover site...you must drive to NH if you are a NH resident. I understand the MA state CDL is HARD, since all the maneuvers are demonstrated...not just a few, but still, folks should be able to do them...unless they must wait a week or two before the test...that is poor planning....to schedule the test weeks after the driving training is done....a well organized place would get the date, and plan the completeion of the traing to be close to the end of the training...or atleast keep an hour banked to use as a refresher!!

 

Sorry, just repeating what the DUA lady told me last week. I was also told that getting state funding for the school is next to impossible, because you have to prove that you don't have marketable skills and need retraining. And almost everyone has marketable skills, ie. sweeping floors etc... Besides, they ran out of money for that a while ago.

So the choice becomes....Pay $9000 out of pocket(one way or the other) with no guarantee of a job, yes they will help you look for one, but they can't guarantee it, or work for a company that will train you, and PAY you while you train. Granted, you have to work for them for a year in order to cover the training, but go ahead and try to get a local job w/o 1-2 yrs of OTR experiance, or knowing someone in a small mom & pop business. Let me know how that works for ya....

 

from my understanding, the states have the money the Feds gave them, but for whatever reason, they are holding it back. this is affecting my employer (school) as well. i think the Unemployment lady thought maybe there was only one type of trucking. for students, there (basically is) and that is OTR, as local jobs are really tough (not impossible, but tough) for a newbie to get, over an experienced driver. "marketable skills" usually refers to "past careers" one has had, like a mechanic for instance. they may not provide funds for former mechanics, as that IS a skill, and no one needs to be re-trained. however, those that work in factories have no basic "marketable skills", as they would be considered "unskilled labor".

and by the way, OTR jobs may be readily more available upon graduation, but even those can be difficult as well to obtain.

yes, one can pay out of pocket, or get a student loan from the school. personally, if everyone COULD afford out of pocket money for schools, then the schools would be filled up. this just isn't the case many times though, so student loans are the way to go. i think it's better to have a student loan and pay back (about) $100 per month, then to sign contracts with a major carrier and let them teach you. reason being, you still have NO guarantee of a job with that company..........!!!!

 

Check around....the average price seems to be closer to $5000 in the NE.....3 of the schools I looked at was about this price point....and much more flexible than going to a school run by a company...you will not have to stay with ONE company for as long as 2 years to fufuil a commitment, while they hold your CDL hostage!

That having been said...some of the truck company schools are a good deal $$ if you pay up front....they seem to run about $3500-4500. If you do it "for free" where they front the cash it is more like $6000, and more like $10,000 if you leave early....so many things to consider...it varies tons from company to company...but these are the generalities from what I have found. But you do have to deal with transferring your CDL back to your home state!! Easy in some places, harder in others!
But some company's pay you back for school!!

USexpress is $150 a month for 3 years, max $5400,
Covenant is 125$ per month for 6 months
Werner is $100 per month after 30 days up to $6000

So if you can pay upfront...there is still options that will get the money back...all these places have different requirements...but that is the basics...but like always, there are specific rules....so check with the requiter....this info came from my school listing!! Good Luck!
Since starting pay for the first year is so low...this reimbursement could be a significant amount...(some calculate the reimbursement based on miles...so if you get screwed on miles...you also get screwed on the reimbursement (so hope the economy does not take a double dip, and hope you are with a strong company with lots of freight to move!)....Also be sure to be nice to your dispatcher, and take all the loads....the nice long ones, and the crap short ones...since somebody has to do them, and as a newbie we must pay our dues, and "earn the right" to get the better loads. Hate to say it...but Just like when I flew cargo...you do the crap runs, so you can do the milk runs later...if you are not willing, look for a different job!
It may sound funny, but I have worked with several other pilots that also had CDL's, that drove when the aviation industry was in bad shape, like now, and before they flew...there is many similarities!! That is why I'm looking at doing it....it is all about moving items, and living on the road for periods of time....if you can keep focused, live away from your family, and stay safe...than it is a good option...even in a poor economy the Trucking industry seems to chew up folks that did not realize what they were getting into!!